w
here. Do not forget that."

"I guess your will isn't much law to _us_," replied Helen, laughing and
tossing her head. "You see, we do not know you----"

"You shall!" hissed the horrible old creature, suddenly stretching forth
one of her claw-like hands. "Come here!"

Ruth seized her friend tightly. Helen was laughing, but suddenly she
stopped. The queen's terrible eyes seemed to hold the girl in a spell.
Involuntarily Helen's limbs bore her toward the far end of the van.

The girl's face became pale; her own eyes protruded from their sockets;
the Gypsy Queen charmed her, just as a snake is said to charm a young
bird in its nest.

But Ruth sprang after her, seized Helen's arm again, and shook her.

"You stop that!" she cried, to the old woman. "Don't you mind her,
Helen. She has some wicked power in her eyes, my dear!"

Her cry broke the hypnotic spell the woman had cast over Helen Cameron.
The latter sank down, trembling and sobbing, with her hands over her
face.

"Oh, dear, Ruthie! I wish we hadn't gotten into this wagon," she moaned.

"I am sure I wish so, too," returned her chum, in a low voice, while the
old woman rocked herself to and fro in her seat, and cackled her horrid
laughter.

"Aren't we ever going to get to that town? Tom said it was only two
miles or a little over."

"I wish we could speak to that other woman," muttered Ruth.

"Do you suppose this old thing is crazy?" whispered Helen.

"Worse than that," returned Ruth. "I am afraid of them all. I don't
believe they mean us well. Let's get out, Helen."

"Oh! where shall we go?" returned her friend, in a tone quite as soft as
Ruth's own.

"We must be somewhere near the town."

"It is pitch dark outside the windows," complained Helen.

"Let's try it. Pitch dark is not as bad as this wicked old creature----"

The hag laughed again, although she was not looking at them. Surely she
could not hear the girls' whispers, yet her cackling laugh sent a shiver
over both girls. It was just as though Queen Zelaya, as she called
herself, could read what was in their minds.

"Yes, yes!" whispered Helen, with sudden eagerness in her voice. "You
are right. We will go."

"We'll slip out without anybody but the old woman seeing us----Then
we'll run!"

Ruth jumped up suddenly and stepped to the door at the rear of the van.
She turned the knob and tried to open it. _The door was fastened upon
the outside!_

Again the old woman broke into her cackl